Trump talk: Reviewing his first year in office

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Saturday, January 20th marked the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration. Donald Trump won the Republican Party presidential nominee race in the summer of 2016, and at the beginning of 2016, most people couldn’t imagine Donald Trump winning this nomination, let alone the presidency.

President Donald Trump is obviously one of the most unpopular presidents in the modern era. Trump’s 39% approval rating is much lower than previous presidents – Barack Obama (50%), Bill Clinton (54%) and George W. Bush (78%) – although Trump has recently spiked to 51% since his State of the Union Address. Among rural Americans and blue collar workers, those thought to be his core voters, approval ratings of his administration are slipping. Trump promised an influx of income for American workers during his election campaign, but his promises haven’t come to fruition yet. This may explain the decrease in approval ratings from “America’s workers.”

Building a border wall paid for by Mexico was Trump’s signature issue during the election campaign, but it is no nearer to happening. Democrats and Mexican officials both refuse to pay a penny for the wall so for right now, it is unclear how funding will be acquired for it..

In October, Trump’s administration announced it was ending DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program, which granted normalised residency status to roughly 700,000 undocumented immigrants who entered the US when they were young. You could talk pro v. con arguments all day, but in the end, those protected under this program were brought here without any say. In my opinion, scratching this program is a message for adult immigrants to show that America will not harbor your children because of your actions.

Reforming Obamacare was another centerpiece of Trump’s election campaign, and everyone knew it was going to be one of his toughest tests. While Obamacare helped more than 20 million people, some being undocumented immigrants, its installation by Obama caused a rise in premiums. Trump promised his constituents the he would immediately repeal and replace it; however, there hasn’t been much headway. The House eventually passed the bill, but the Senate failed to pass its own version, citing a lack of support. This marked a huge setback in the Trump administration. It created a standstill on Trump’s agenda and it may have possibly begun a swing of support from a Republican to Democratic Congress.

North Korea is asking for WW3 and I don’t think Donald Trump is going to back down. Over the past year, North Korea has increased their nuclear weapons and rocket testing programs. Donald Trump has made it clear to all: America will not stand back and allow “Little Rocket Man” (Kim Jong Un) to influence the world out of fear. He said, “North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times. Will someone……….. Inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is much bigger and more powerful on than his, and my button works!” in response to Kim’s statements about his nuclear button being on the table.

Whether you love him or hate him, or just don’t really care, everyone can agree that his position demands respect. Donald Trump has made some progress in a positive direction since his inauguration. The next three years will define America. The decisions his administration makes will effect the entire world for decades to come.